A woman has lost over 10 stone after a stranger threw a drink at her on a night out and told her she was disgusting.

Steph Hammel, 25, was devastated when she was humiliated in front of all of her friends and a bar full of strangers after the man threw a drink at her on the stairs of a bar in her hometown of Preston.

It was the turning point Steph needed to finally do something about her 22st 5lb frame.

Steph managed to shed an impressive 10 stone after the eye opening event at a bar in her home town

Now, she weighs just 11st 13lb and is a size 12 - and has been crowned Woman of the Year by the Cambridge Weight Plan.

Steph, who is a local government authority officer, said: 'I was never a skinny girl, even when I was younger, but I was never fat either. I danced four times a week and was competing in championships on nearly a weekly basis.

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'I would always be nervous when I went on a night out, but the night it happened I had made the effort with my hair and make up, and worn a dress. I felt really confident which is why it came as such a blow.

'He walked right up to me, turned round and said, ‘Look at the state of you. You’re disgusting,’ and threw his drink at me.

Although her father made healthy food at home, Steph would buy crisps and sweets with her own money and eat them in secret, causing her weight to balloon

'Nobody should be made to feel the way that man made me feel, but it finally gave me the push I needed to do something about my weight.

'If I met him now I’d shake his hand because without him I never would have done anything about my size.'

Steph started putting on weight when she stopped dancing aged 17.

Although her father made healthy food at home, she would buy crisps and sweets with her own money and eat them in secret.

Steph said: 'I thought that if no one saw me doing it, then I hadn’t done it, which is never a good way to be.

The incident on her friends birthday forced Steph to look at the risks associated with her unhealthy lifestyle

'By the time I realised that my weight was going up, it was too late. By then I was a size 26.'

Steph’s diet was always put on the backburner until the turning point came while out for her friend’s birthday.

She says: 'I went to the toilets on my own and was going back down the stairs to find my friends as this young man was coming up.

'Luckily, my friend was coming up the stairs as it happened because I was furious.'

But the incident forced Steph to look at the risks associated with her unhealthy lifestyle and she started researching diet plans and which one would be right for her.

Steph says if she met the man who threw the drink now she would thank him

She eventually decided on the Cambridge Weight Plan, which involved rebuilding her relationship with food by first cutting it out completely and replacing it with milkshakes and porridge.

Her incredible weight loss of 10st 7lb led to Steph being crowned Woman of the Year at the Cambridge Weight Plan awards.

Steph said: 'I needed to know that I had set boundaries and wouldn’t be tempted by even just small amounts of unhealthy foods.

'A lot of people doubted me when I first started and didn’t think I would be able to stick to the diet, but when they could see how well I was doing they became more encouraging.

'Proving people wrong has given me an extra boost of confidence and motivated me to carry on.

'Now my mum will tell anyone that will listen for long enough about how well I’ve done.

'There were times when I would think ‘this is it, I’ve done enough now’, but my mum and my boyfriend’s mum spurred me on to keep going and keep losing the weight.'

Since losing the weight, Steph’s confidence has skyrocketed and she has also met her boyfriend, Neil.

Steph said: I met Neil towards the end of my diet and we’ve been together about seven months.

'The relationship wouldn’t have worked before I don’t think. I would have constantly been wondering why he was interested in me.

'I would have been constantly thinking he’s only with me until something better comes along. Before I was with Neil I didn’t know what it was like to be with someone who was nice to me all the time.'

Steph has also noticed more subtle changes in her day-to-day life, including in other people’s behaviour towards her, especially as a young woman.

Steph has been crowned Woman of the Year by the Cambridge Weight Plan due to her dieting success

She says: 'People used to look at me and judge me. They were looking down on me because I was young and overweight.

'Now, people will hold a door open for me. It sounds silly but that was something that wouldn’t have happened before.

'There are also things that people take for granted, like being able to cross my legs under my desk at work, sitting in an aeroplane seat comfortably and being able to walk between two cars in a car park without worrying you’d get stuck.'

Seeing herself as a role model, Steph is now feeling the pressure to keep the weight off for good.

'Losing this much weight, going from a size 26 to a size 12, is something people in their forties do, not people in their twenties.

'By doing it, I’ve proved that it doesn’t matter how old you are, there shouldn’t be any excuse for being overweight.

'I’m much happier in myself because of how healthy I feel and how much better I feel about myself.'